What Is War Good For?
Edwin Starr’s song “War – What Is It Good For?” helped give soul music a political direction in the late 1960s.
“Absolutely nothing!” That is how Edwin Starr sings at the start, in answer to the question that Udo Lindenberg would pose a little later: “What are wars for?” Later in the song, Starr does after all explain what the slaughter is good for: “It means destruction of innocent lives. War means tears in the eyes of thousands of mothers.” The singer pairs this with energy-charged soul that, thanks to the power of his voice, gets under your skin and, despite the bleak subject, lifts the mood.
Lüül, himself a politically engaged songwriter (“Ich bin die freie Rede” / “I am free speech”), chose the song as a contribution to the Friedensnoten series and put down a few thoughts on it.
When I was asked to pick a peace song or anti-war song, what came to mind spontaneously was, of course, John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”, followed by “Imagine”. After all, it was the Beatles, and thus John Lennon, who got me into music in the first place. But these two songs are already so well known that there is no need to single them out here.
As I thought further, I came upon “War – What Is It Good For?”, sung by Edwin Starr. Because this song nails it. It originally came from the pens of The Temptations members Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, and was written as a protest against the Vietnam War.
Because they did not want to alienate their partly conservative fan base, however, The Temptations did not release the song as a single but only put it out in 1970 on their album “Psychedelic Shack”. Instead they looked for a singer who had the potential to carry this important song out into the world – and found just the right one: Edwin Starr.
With his powerful voice and his uncompromising vehemence, he gives the song the necessary punch. The mighty choir picks up his energy directly, and the whole thing is supported on top of that by magnificent brass arrangements. To this day I still get goosebumps when I hear the song.
Cover versions by Bruce Springsteen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Beastie Boys, to name just a few, brought the song further attention. It was also added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”. A classic!
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